“Aurora Australis” (picture and information courtesy of Altmann & Cherny)
The “Aurora Australis” was found in 1938 at Lightning Ridge and is considered the world’s most valuable black opal
The oval, cut and polished stone has a harlequin pattern with dominant red, green and blue colors against a black background
The rarity of the opal comes from its size and strong, vibrant colour play
It weighs 180 carats and its dimensions are 3 inches x 18 inches
The Aurora is the first large, fine, Australian opal mentioned in literature
Charlie Dunstan had found another large opal previously, but its blue-green colour play was not considered valuable at the time – although the stone weighed about 12 ounces (close to 1860 carats)
At a depth of approximately six metres, Charlie found the brilliant gem
Altmann & Cherny purchased the opal in a semi-rough state (a rub)
They cut and polished the opal into its oval shape, and realising what a true gem they had, they named it the “Aurora Australis” after the bright southern lights in the night sky
In November 1906, Charlie Dunstan found “Dunstan’s Stone” (Later renamed to “The Fire Queen”), at the Angledool Diggings
She was the largest nobby to date – alive with colour – “truly a marvelous gem, too beautiful for words!”
After selling the stone for a paltry £100 to an unknown buyer on a trip to Angledool, the story goes that Dunstan got drunk and “lost” two other big stones
After being originally sold for a mere £100, the stone changed hands several times, each new buyer finding it difficult to sell as there was hardly any market for big black opals in those days
By 1928, however, it was in the Chicago Museum, valued at £40,000 after being renamed “The Fire Queen”
“The Black Prince”
‘The Black Prince’, originally known as ‘Harlequin Prince’, was found in 1915 at Phone Line by Urwin and Brown
Perhaps the least significant of the four notable stones from the same claim, this gem weighed 181 carats and displayed a flag pattern one side and the other was red
This black opal was acquired in England by a wealthy American serviceman, and later donated to the New York Museum of Natural History
Later ‘Prince’ became part of the collection at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Los Angeles, and was stolen at the same time as ‘Pride of Australia’
‘Flamingo’ was the largest of the four notable stones in the Phone Line patch, weighing over a quarter of a pound at 800 carats!
This black opal plus ‘Black Prince’, ‘Pride of Australia’ and ‘Empress’ were the ones for which Sherman paid Urwin and Brown £2000 in about 1920
This was the most ever paid to that date for four black opals
Ernie’s sister Bertha named the stones
“Pride of Australia / Red Emperor”
‘Pride of Australia’, also known as ‘Red Emperor’, was found in 1915 by Tom Urwin and Snowy Brown at Phone Line (off Fred Reece Way)
The Pride of Australia is shaped like the continent
The 2″ x 3″ opal has black and blue veins interlaced with brilliant red streaks
By 1954, it had toured at least five World Fairs as “the greatest opal of Australia, and therefore the greatest opal in the world”
This double-sided gem cut to a 225 carat stone that just fit into a tobacco tin
The one on the back was much lighter and almost harlequin, totally different to the main bar of dark, rich flashes of colour
Ernie Sherman bought ‘Pride’ plus another three stones from the miners for £2000 around 1920
It was the highest price ever paid for four black opals
The ‘Pride of Australia’ was valued in 1931 at £2000 on its own, and was sold in the 1950s from the Percy Marks Collection, Sydney
Dr Eaton examines his “Pride of Australia” opal
In 1954, Dr Hubert Eaton was the President and Founder of the world-famous Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA, and owner of one of the most important gem collections in the United States
Percy Marks, Ltd, located in Sydney, Australia, was home to the opal when Dr Eaton was craving for his collection
This firm was supposed to have the greatest opal collection in the world
The Pride of Australia was sitting in the display window when Dr Eaton arrived
To Dr Eaton’s dismay, the opal was not for sale
Dr Eaton chose several other opals and told the firm that he wanted all of these opals plus the Pride — if the Pride wasn’t thrown in with the deal, then there would be no deal
Dr Eaton wrote in a letter to his assistant, “Well, to cut a long story short, after quite a time, it ended by my going to the bank and getting a draft payable to Percy Marks, Ltd”
Some say the price was £150,000, but Greg Sherman reckons not more than £50,000 was paid for this mostly green-shot-with-orange black opal
‘Pride’ was later stolen from the new owner, Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Los Angeles
‘Empress of Australia’ was mined in 1915 from the same patch on Phone Line as ‘Pride of Australia’ by Urwin and Brown
First known as ‘Kaleidoscope Queen’, then ‘Tartan Queen’, this stone measured 3 x 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches in the rough
The stone was shaped out and polished to reveal the glowing patches of red to best advantage, probably weighing 500 carats
Later, down at the pub, this, the most colourful black opal from the claim, slipped through the fingers of a local admirer, and fell to the floor, breaking into two pieces
Two almost matching stones were cut out of the first piece, each measuring 2 inches long and weighing 20 carats
The second piece of ‘Empress’, measuring 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches and weighing 50-60 carats, was mounted in a gleaming necklet of brilliants
Three partners, Jack Phillips, Walter Bradley and “Irish” Joe Hegarty took over a partially dug claim that was abandoned by a miner who left to fight in World War I
Lightning Ridge was a risky place to speculate for opals
The early miners used picks and shovels, battling fatigue and hunger and desperate to find an opal-rich shaft
Hegarty completed the partially dug tunnel, but when he reached the opal level, the site appeared worthless
The opal-rich clay, usually around 30 feet down the shaft, did not reveal any colour, which indicates the presence of gemstones
Close to 35 feet below the surface, in a tunnel little more that 2½ feet wide, he was hoisted up so that he could examine the stone under daylight
The story goes that Walter Bradley took a “bite” at “a great black nobby” with his steel snips… and revealed the brilliance of opal within
They were offered £7 in the rough for the stone, which they refused
Of the three partners, Bradley was the most skilled lapidarist and had the best equipment to cut and polish the rough
It revealed a dazzling red domed center with a greenish blue border
The three men, broke and exhausted from their labor, hungry from scarce food supplies, hastily sold the opal to a gem buyer for 93 pounds
Phillips, Bradley & Hegarty were the lucky miners, who shared the £93 that Ernie Sherman gave them for this collector’s piece
Cutting it would have spoilt the unique pattern
John Landers reported that the architecture “made this stone!” A black nobby as big as the palm of a hand, ‘Flame’ weighed 253 carats
An oval, 2 3/4 inches x 2 1/3 inches, with a dome that a half-crown would not cover, displayed a broad bronze-red flash
The ½-inch dome was framed with a high emerald green 3/8-inch band (then electric blue from another angle)
One writer described the stone thus: “Suppose you put an egg in a frying pan
This is what the exquisite stone looks like, only the yolk is a striking blood-red, raised above and surrounded by beautiful blue-green opal” The cut and shape are highly unusual and enhance the natural formation of the stone
Under differing lights and angles, the stone reflects numerous combinations of color in a unique and remarkable way
It was established that traces of ginko, a fossil plant (Chinese maiden hair fern), occurring in Jurassic rocks but not in any opal deposits, were impressed on the back of the gem
The asking price for this unusual opal has continued to climb over the years with each change of hands
In 1948, the stone was valued at £5000
As of 1992, the stone was back home in Australia
(Estimated at US$250,000) Current photos confirm the beauty of this gem and no sign of crazing after 86 years of to-ing and fro-ing
(picture and information courtesy of Altmann & Cherny)
The “Olympic Australis” is reported to be the largest and most valuable gem opal ever found
It was found in 1956 at the famous “Eight Mile” opal field in Coober Pedy, South Australia
A miner working his claim found the opal at a depth of 30 feet
It was named in honor of the Olympic Games, which were being held in Melbourne at the time
This extraordinary opal consists of 99% gem opal with an even colour throughout the stone, and is one of the largest and most valuable opals ever found
The balance of 1% is the remaining soil still adhering to the stone
It weighs 17,000 carats (3450 grams) and is 11 inches long (280 mm), with a height of 4¾ inches (120 mm) and a width of 4½ inches (115 mm)
Due to the purity of the opal it is anticipated that upwards of 7000 carats could be cut from the piece
However owing to it’s uniqueness, the opal will remain exactly as found
“Halley’s Comet”, is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest uncut black opal nobby
The massive stone was found by a group of opal miners on the Leaning Tree Claim at Lightning Ridge known as “The Lunatic Hill Syndicate” about the time “Halleys Comet” appeared in Australian skies
It weighs 19825 carats and measures 100 x 66 x 63 mm, or 4 x 2-5/8 x 2-1/2 in
Halley’s Comet was for sale in 2006 for AUD $12 million
The gem has a thick gem quality green and green/orange colour bar and is the largest gem nobby to be found at Lightning Ridge to date
“Butterfly Stone / The Red Admiral”
The Red Admiral’ or ‘Butterfly Stone’ was discovered during World War I on the ‘Phone Line’ field
Reported to be 51 carats, the stone is of extraordinary beauty, with a predominant red pattern equally visible from all angles
It wasn’t until 1920 that the stone was given the name “Butterfly” because of its resemblance to the British butterfly, the Red Admiral
Len Cram says of this stone, “If you turn this magnificent gem on its side it changes from a butterfly to a full-length picture of a Spanish dancer in traditional broad ruffled dress, perfect in pose and movement, aflame with fiery lights”
It passed through a number of hands, including Percy Marks and a Queensland grazier, before being purchased by the late Mrs Drysdale of Sydney
As of 2004, it was back in the care of Percy Marks & Co Other Stones
Other fine named gem opals from Lightning Ridge include Red Flamingo (1914), Queen of Alexander (1918), Harlequin Flame (1919), Grawin Queen (1926), Sunset Queen (1928), Light of the World (1928), Pandora (1928), Queen of Australia (1931), and Rainbow Stone (1933)
Also called the ‘Aztec Sun God Opal’, the 35 carat transparent blue gem with play-of-colour, features a carved human face surrounded by sun rays
September 2003 saw the discovery of ‘The Virgin Rainbow’ (pictured above), a 633mm Black Crystal Opal Belemnite Fossil in a ‘pipe’ shape, featuring gem quality colour, weighing in at 7265 carats
The specimen was discovered at Three Mile Fields in Coober Pedy, in South Australia by Johnny Dunstan
The Black Opal Advocate
The Olympic Australis is reported to be the biggest and most expensive Opal ever found
Worth an estimated $25 Million it tops the list of the most expensive Opals ever found
There are a number of famous Opals that have made appearances throughout history and what has made them celebrated include;
This particular one is considered as the most unique and extraordinary of all Opals because it’s the most valuable and largest one ever found!
This Gem Opal was found in the year 1956 around the month of August in Coober Pedy, South Australia at the Eight Mile Opal field
The miner who dug it had prospected mining 30 feet down
After retrieving the Opal, the miner decided to name this particular gem after the Olympic Games since they were happening right about that same time in Melbourne thus the name Olympic Australis
One amazing fact about the Olympic Australis is that it is 1% host rock and the remaining 99% is pure Gem Opal
This is why the Olympic Australis is regarded as the most valuable gem ever reported
This is the world’s most valuable Black Opal, which made its debut in the year 1938 after being dug up in a sea bed at Lightning Ridge in New South Wales
It was then bought by Altmann & Cherny’s as an opal that was semi-rough
They polished and cut it into the oval shape
One distinctive factor of this opal is the star fish impression on the back of the gem
In addition to that, its strong vibrant colours together with the size actually bring out the opal’s value and full rarity
There’s also a harlequin pattern that’s characterised by dominant colours such as red, blue and green on a black background, which resembles bright southern lights
The Butterfly Stone/ The Red Admiral
This amazing opal resembles the British butterfly the Red Admiral and the predominantly red colour is visible from every angle
It’s also called the Butterfly stone
It was found in the Phone Line field during World War 1
It was named in the year 1920 after it was established that it is about 51 carats
A world renowned Opal expert by the name Len Cram had the following to say about the Butterfly Stone, “When you turn this magnificent gem on its side, it changes from being a butterfly to a full length picture of a Spanish dancer in a traditional broad ruffled dress and is perfect in movement and pose and aflame with fiery lights”
This opal has an interesting, yet sad history attached to it
It was found in the year 1906 in Angledool diggings and it was originally named Dunstans’s Stone after the finder whose name was Charlie Dunstan
The Black Prince
This one is stunningly beautiful and considered a unique piece when compared to other opals
It’s also known as the Harlequin Prince and was found at a place called the Phone Line in 1915
On observing it, you’ll see a flag pattern on one side and a red colour on the other side
Its carat weight is about 181 and in addition to that, a sand hole is seen on the face of the opal
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This 23Kg Opal Is the Largest Black Opal in the World
Found over 10 years ago in Grawin Field, the present specimen of seam opal was left as close as possible to the natural state in which it was found
Polished by the artist who was then Australia’s foremost opal carver, the late Christine Rousel
Her main intention was to only to reveal the main color bars through contour polishing and to leave the Opal as close to its natural state as possible–revealing its beauty which took over a million years to form
The largest black opal weighs 11,34095 carats (2,26819 grams; 80 oz) and measures 2,450 x 1,460 x 527 mm (9645 x 5748 x 2074 in)
The black opal was found in Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
Gem-like broad flash blue-green play-of-color is seen on this portion of the specimen, while fine iridescent green, blue and vivid orange pinfire play-of-color covers a large extent of the face
True black potch is seen to the reverse
It’s name obtained directly from the miner, it was he who named the specimen “The Sea of Opal”
His inspiration was two-fold: the outline of the large raised blue patch of color in the center has a resemblance to a swimming fish and the green flash that is seen at the apex is reminiscent of seaweed
Yet the name also evokes the geology of the region in that the center of the Australian continent was once an inland sea, the mineralized waters of which were responsible for producing the opal which we so admire today
Accompanied by the Guinness Book of World Records Ltd Certificate stating: The largest black opal weighs 11,34095 carats (2,26819 grams; 80 oz )
AA47948, stating that the solid precious opal is natural and that it has not been treated or enhanced in any way other than by cutting and polishing
Largest Recorded Black Opal Specimen
Largest Recorded Black Opal Specimen
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